Cost of living
How do I get the $300 energy bill rebate? Your top budget questions answered
From cost-of-living relief to inflation, our experts unpack your most pressing concerns from the federal budget.
- by Rachel Clun and Ross Gittins
Latest
Chemists to lose dollar-discount option as government bows to Pharmacy Guild pressure
Chemist Warehouse will be stripped of its ability to give its customers $1 off their medicines under a change the Pharmacy Guild has been pushing for years.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
Suburbs that renters could afford with the budget’s extra help
Rents have skyrocketed, and rent assistance is set to go up in response. Even so, it’s slim pickings.
- by Jim Malo
Everything you need to know about the $300 energy rebate
Here’s how the government will deliver the money, and what it could mean for inflation.
- by Rachel Clun
Opinion
Federal budget
This budget will make us better off now, worse off later
It seems the top priority of Anthony Albanese’s government is not to have any priorities.
- by Ross Gittins
Budget 2024 as it happened: Treasurer reveals $3.5b energy subsidy plan to fight inflation
Jim Chalmers has delivered subsidies for business and households in his third federal budget speech. Follow our live coverage with in-depth analysis from our experts.
- by Josefine Ganko
Analysis
Federal budget
Is this the budget we needed? Our experts deliver their verdicts
Jim Chalmers’ third budget sought to strike a balance between inflation and cost of living. Here’s what our experts thought.
- by David Crowe, Shane Wright, Jacqueline Maley, Peter Hartcher and Ross Gittins
Small businesses get cost relief amid renewables push
The budget includes tax incentives for critical minerals and green hydrogen, and cost relief for small businesses, including an energy rebate and an extension of the instant asset write-off scheme.
- by Millie Muroi
Opinion
Federal budget
Don’t be fooled: this is an election budget with plenty of pork-barrelling
This budget taxes more, and spends more, than any of the others for at least a quarter-century, outside the pandemic years. And it conceals the pork better.
- by Peter Hartcher
Analysis
Federal budget
The budget handout that could cruel your next pay rise
Just spending money on handouts to bring down inflation is not Jim Chalmers’ main game.
- by Shane Wright
The three-minute budget: Everything you need to know
Labor has unveiled its economic plan for the next four years and beyond. Here is a quick rundown of the essentials.
- by Angus Thompson